Art of manufacturing sheet-metal cans



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J. LEE. I ART 0F MANUFACTURING SHEET METAL GANS. No. 517,223. I PatentedMar. 27, 1894.

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UNITE STATES ATENT Ormes,

JOHN LEE, OF SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,223, dated March27, 1894.

Application filed July 14, 1893. Serial No. 480,494. (N0 Specimens-l Toall whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN LEE, a citizen of the United States, residingat San Mateo, in the county of San Mateo and State of California, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in the Art of ManufacturingSheet-Metal Cans, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the art of manufacturing sheet-metal cans.

In the method or process heretofore commonly in use for manufacturingsheet-metal cans, the body or cylindrical portion of the can is rstformed up from ailat blank of tin plate, the meeting edges of which areeither folded together to form what is commonly called the interlockedside seam, which is subsequently soldered, or else the meeting edges aresimply lapped together and then soldered to form what is commonly calledthe lapped side seam. After this one of the can heads or flanged disksconstituting the top or bottom of the can is applied to the body andsoldered in place. And then, after the can is lled with iish, meat orother material, the remaining head or flanged disk is applied andsoldered on the body.

Machines are commonly used in forming up the can bodies, other machinesfor soldering up the side seams of the can bodies, still other machinesfor applying one or both heads to the body, and still other machines forsoldering the end seams uniting the head to the body. The side seams areoften or commonly soldered by pushing or drawing the can bodies over abath of molten solder so that the side seam comes in contact with thesurface of the molten solder, and the end seams of the can are often orcommonly soldered by rolling the cans in an inclined position along atrack over a bath of molten solder. Various machines for performingthese dierent steps or operations are in common use, and familiar tothose skilled in the art, and the same are shown and described in thevarious patents of the United States heretofore granted, such forexample as Patent No. 250,266, granted November 29, 1881, to Frank M.Leavitt on machines for making the seams of sheet metal cans; No.250,096, granted to Edwin Norton November 29, 1881, on machines forsoldering side seams of cans; No. 267,014, granted No- Vember 7, 1882,to Edwin Norton on machines for putting on the ends of fruit and othercans; No. 274,363, granted March 20, 1883, to Edwin Norton and John G.Hodgson on can ending machine, and No. 274,362, granted March 20, 1883,to Edwin Norton for soldering cans. ,i

In the manufacture of that class of cans commonly called flats-canswhose length or height is less than their diameterand which are largelyused for putting up salmon, considerable diilculty is experienced in theuse of the ordinary machinery, because of the short length of the can ascompared with its diameter, the extreme narrowness of the blankrendering it more difficult for it to be fed squarely and properly intoand through the body former machine; and the short length of the canbody rendering it very weak and flexible and more difficult to handle inthe various subsequent operations, especially in dragging it through theside seam soldering machine or in rolling it through the end solderingmachine and the connecting run ways.

The object of my invention is to provide a method whereby the above andother difficulties in the manufacture of short or flat cans may beentirely overcome or obviated, and whereby the cans may be manufacturedvery rapidly and cheaply, the capacity of the present machinery being bymy improvement practicably doubled. According to myinvention I firstform two can bodies at once from a single blank and solder the sideseam, the blank being preferably first partially cut in two along theline where the double length body is to be separated or dividedl to formthe two cans. The partially cutting of the blank in two before the canbody is formed not onlyserves to facilitate the subsequent severing ofthe two can bodies, but also serves to give a vent opening for theescape of air from the double length can body in the subsequent steps oroperations of applying the two opposite heads upon such double lengthbody, and of soldering such heads upon the body.

In the operation of soldering the heads, especially the final head uponthe double length body, the heat applied to the can necessarily expandsthe air therein, and unless a suitable vent were provided the expandedair IOO would tend to force itself through the seam or solder in the actof forming the soldered joint and thus produce pin holes. After thedouble length can body has thus been formed and its side seam soldered,I next apply by hand or by suitable machinery the two heads to the canbody, one upon each end thereof. I then either by hand or by suitablemachinery solder the two heads upon the double length body. I thenseparate or sever the two cans thus formed. And to givea smooth nish tothe open or mouth ends of the two cans thus formed I preferably smoothor burr the severed edges thereof, or turn the same slightly inward.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,and in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughoutall the figures, Figure l represents a double width blank from which Iform my double length can body. Fig. 2illustrates the second step of theprocess, showing the blank partially severed or cut in two along theline where the double length body is to be divided or separated to formtwo twin cans. Fig. 3 is a cross section of the blank shown in Fig. 2,the same being taken at a point where the blank is simply scored or notquite severed or cut in two. Fig. 4 represents the next step showing thedouble width blank formed into a double length can body. Fig. 5illustrates the next step showing the same as Fig. 4 after the side seamhas been soldered. Fig. 6 illustrates the next stop wherein the twoheads or flanged disks constituting thc two twin cans have been appliedto or forced upon the double length body. Fig. 7 illustrates the nextstep showing.r the double length can body with the two heads soldered inplace thereon. Fig. 8 illustrates the next step wherein the two twincans are separated or divided. Fig. 9 represents the next step showingthe twin cans one before and one after its severed circumferential edgehas been smoothed or turned inward. Fig. l0 represents a side elevationof one of the completed cans with the nal head applied. Fig. 1l isasectional View of the same. Fig. 12 is an elevation or edge View ofcutting wheels or rollers that may be employed for partially severingthe flat blank. Fig. 13 is a face View of the upper cutting wheel orroller showing in a somewhat exaggerated form the waved or corrugatedcutting edge employed to entirely sever the blank at certain portions orintervals and score or partially sever the blank at other portions orintervals. Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken on the line that the blankis partially severed, and showing for sake of clearness the thick nessof the blank much exaggerated or en* larged, so as to indicate thecomplete and partial severing of the blank at intervals. Figs. 15 and 16represent a slight modification in the manner of partially severing theblank and afterward completing the severing or cutting apart of the twincans. In this modication a narrow strip is cut out at the middle withpipe shears or tongs, such as are commonly used for cutting stove pipeor other sheet metal cylinders.

In said drawings A represents a blank of tin plate or other sheet metal,the same being in width double the length or height of the can bodies tobe formed therefrom. This blank A, while it is still in the flat, ispreferably partially severed on its middle longitudinal line ct, as isclearly indicated in Figs. 2, 3 and 14. The intervals where the sheet oftin is entirely cutthrough are indicated at d a', andtheintervalswhereitisonlyscored orpartially cut through are indicated ata2 a2. The cut through intervals a d' are preferably about three-eighthsof an inch in length, while the scored or partially cut throughintervals are preferably about one-eighth of an inch 1n length, althoughthis of course may be indefinitely varied; as the object of thepartially severed line a is simply to form the necessary vent oropenings to permit the escape of the air from the cans while the headsare being soldered on, and to facilitate the subsequent step of breakingor cutting apart or separating the two twin cans. After the double blankA has been thus partially severed along its middle line a., the doubleblank 1s formed up into a double can body B and its side seam bsoldered. These steps or operations may be performed in precisely thesame manner as if the blank A were a single can body blank and notpartially severed along its middle line. can body from this double andpartially severed can body blank A may be done in any suitable way, byhand or by machinery, but preferably by use of an automatic can bodyforming machine, suoli. for example as that shown and described inLetters Patent No. 250,266. And the soldering of the side seam b of thedouble can body B may likewise be done in any suitable way or by anysuitable tools or machine, but preferably by an auto-` matic side seamsoldering machine, such as that shown and described in Letters PatentNo. 250,096. After the side seam b of the double and partially severedcan body 13 has thus been soldered, I next apply two heads O C thereto,one at each end; and this may be done either by hand or any suitableautomatic can heading machine, but preferably by means of an automaticcan heading machine such for example as that shown and described inLetters Patent No. 267,014, or No. 274,363. After the heads C C havethus been applied, I next solder the end seams c uniting the heads tothe double body B;this may be done in any suitable way and by means ofany suitable tools or machine known to those skilled in the art, butpreferably by use of an automatic can end soldering machine, such forexample as that shown and described in the Letters Patent No. 274,362.In this operation of soldering the heads C C on the double can body B,the openings a along the line a serve as vents to permit the The formingof the double IOC escape of air from the inside of the can, and preventpin holes or leaks being formed in the soldered seams. After the heads CC have thus been soldered on the double body 5 B, the double body isseparated or broken apart along the partially severed line a and the twotwin cans D D thus formed, each having a bottom head C. This step oroperation of severing or breaking apart the two twin cans may beperformed in any suitable' manner, or by any suitable tools ormachinery, but preferably by rolling the double can B along a run wayunder an inclined bar F, arranged to press down against the middle of iI5 the double body B, and thus cause the same to sever or break apartalong the line a. F indicates the trough, chute or run way and F2 a beltfor rolling the cans along the run way under the breaking bar F. zo Inthe modification illustrated in Figs. 14 and 15, the can body is notchedor cut in two for a portion of its length while in the at, and thenformed up, soldered and headed, as before described, and then thesevering or z5 cutting apart of the tin cans is completed by cutting onta narrow strip or band at the middle of the double can body the width ofthe notch or partial severance of the blank. This being done preferablyby means of a pair of pipe shears or other similar tool or machine.After the twin cans have thus been formed, preferably in the mannerfirst above described, as a further or finishing step Isometiinessmooth, burr or turn in slightly the cut 3 5 edges of the two twin cans,as indicated at d d in Figs. 9 and 11. By my invention it will thus beseen that I am practically enabled to make two cans in the same time andwith the same labor heretofore required to make one, and I also avoidthe difficulties heretofore incident to the manufacture of flat or shortcans.

While my invention is peculiarly useful in manufacturing flat or shortcans which cannot easilybe manufactured byautomatic machinery under theold method, my invention however is not confined to the manufacture offiat or short cans, but may bo used to ad-I vantage in manufacturingcans of ordinary length commonly used for putting up fruit and otherfood products.

The dotted lines in Fig. 16 indicate the margins of the narrow strip orband which is cut out in the step or operation of severing the twincans.

While I prefer to form the double can body B with an interlocked sideseam,as indicated in the drawings, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the double body may be formed with an ordinarylapped side seam, instead of an interlocked side seam.

I claim- 1. The improvement in the art of manufacturing sheet metalcans, consisting in the following successive steps tirst making a doublecan body and second severing it into two separate or twin cans,substantially as specilied.

2. The improvement in the art of manufacturing sheet metal cans,consisting in rst partially severing a double can body blank 7o alongits median line, then forming the same into a double can body andsoldering the side seam thereof, then applying a head upon each end ofsaid double body and soldering the same thereon, and then. separatingthe two twin cans thus formed, substantially as specified.

3. The improvement in the art of manufacturing sheet metal cans,consisting in first partially severing a double can body blank along itsmedian line, then forming the same into a double can body and solderingthe side seam thereof, then applying a head upon each end of said doublebody and soldering the same thereon, then separating the two twin cansthus formed, and then smoothing or burring the cut or severed edges ofthe twin cans at the open or mouth end thereof, substantially asspecified.

4. The improvement in the art of manufacturing sheet metal cans, havingsoldered side seams consisting in the following successive steps firstmaking a double can body from one blank, second soldering its side seam,third applying and soldering'heads on said 95 double can body, andfinally separating the double can body into two twin or separated cans,substantially as specified.

5. The improvement in the art of manufacturing cans, consisting in firstpartially sevtoo ering a double can body blank along a longitudinalline, the blank being entirely cut through at parts or intervals andpartially cut through or severed at intervals, then forming said doubleblank into a double can [o5 body and soldering its side seam, and as asucceeding step severing or dividing such double body into two separatecan bodies, substantially as specified.

6. The improvementin the art of manufacuo turing cans, consisting infirst partially severing the double can body blank along a longitudinalline, then forming said double blank into a double can body andsubsequently severing or dividing such double body into 1 15 twoseparate can bodies, substantially as specified.

7. The process or improvement in the art of manufacturing sheet metalcans having soldered side seams, consisting in the following 12osuccessive steps; lfirst, forming from a single sheet metal blank adouble can body; second soldering its side seam; and third severing thedouble length body so formed into two separate or twin cans,substantially as speci- 12 5 fled.

JOHN LEE.

Witnesses:

SIDNEY M. SMITH, A. D. OUTLER.

